Method and apparatus for making tufted pile fabrics



W. A. RICE May 23, 1961 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING TUFTED PILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE?OR @241 M ATTORNEYS May 23, 1961 w. A. RICE 2,985,124

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING TUFTED PILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w": 2 A iw @m;

ATTORN EYS' Unite States METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING TUFTED PILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 836,360

8 Claims. (Cl. 112-79) This invention relates to the production of pile fabrics of the type made by a tufting operation, in which loops of pile yarn are passed through a backing sheet by means of needles. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel method of making such fabrics in which the pile is composed of loops and cut loops of yarn distributed in accordance with a pattern, and with an apparatus by which such a fabric can be produced as rapidly and at as low cost as ordinary tufted fabrics.

Tufting machines constructed for the production of pile fabrics having loops and cut loops in the pile have been disclosed heretofore in patents but the machines of the patents with which I am familiar are complicated and do not appear to be capable of operation at the high speeds at which ordinary tufting machines are usually run. Also, the pattern control means in the patented machines is primitive and it, seems doubtful that the machines are practical for commercial operation.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a method for the production of tufted pile fabrics having a pile containing loops or cut loops arranged in accordance with the pattern and of an apparatus on which the method can be advantageously practiced. In the practice of the method on the apparatus, a backing sheet is advanced with a step-by-step motion and, during each period of rest of the sheet, a transverse row of loops extending from one face of the sheet is formed by passing looped portions of the pile yarns through the sheet from the opposite side. The loops in such a transverse row vary in height in accordance with the pattern and, upon the completion of the formation of the row of loops, the fabric is advanced in the direction of its length. Such movement causes the pile loops of more than the selected height to encircle respective stationary cutting elements and'the loops encircling the elements are then cut during the next period of rest of the fabric. In this same period, another set of loops is formed and the operations described are repeated indefinitely.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in vertical section of a tufting machine constructed in accordance with the invention; and I Figs. 2-5, inclusive, are diagrammatic views showing diflerent stages in the operation of the machine when used to practice the method of the invention.

The tufting machine illustrated comprises a frame structure provided with a bed plate 11 formed with a plurality of slots 11a and a backing sheet 12 is advanced with a step'by-step motion from a supply over the top of the plate lengthwise of the slots by means of rolls 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, some of which are driven. A shaft 18 mounted above the bed plate and driven by suitable means reciprocates a needle bar 19 through suitable connections including a plurality of eccentric disks 20, straps 21 encircling the eccentrics, and push rods 22-connected to the straps and attached to the needle bar, the rods being movable in guides 23. The needle aten t bar carries a plurality of needles 24 and a pair of spaced pile yarn guides 25, 26 are mounted on the push rod guides 23 opposite each needle. As the needle bar descends, the needles pass loops of the pile yarns through the backing sheet and through respective slots 11a in the bed plate. Beneath the bed plate, a plurality of loopers 27, one for each needle, are mounted on a bar 28 carried by arms on a rock shaft 29 and, when the needles have reached the end of their downstrokes, the associated loopers enter the loops of yarn carried by the needles and hold the loops momentarily as the needles rise. The action of the needles and loopers produce pile loops of maximum height.

The pile yarns are drawn from individual supplies thereof in the form of packages 30 in a creel and pass from the packages through respective guides 31 to a mechanism 32 which draws the yarns from the packages and feeds the yarns in increments toward the needles. The feed mechanism illustrated is of the construction shown in the-Crawford Patent 2,853,034, issued September 23, 1958, and the mechanism includes a lower set of chains 33, the corresponding links of which are connected by fiat wires 34 extending across the sheet of yarns traveling-from the guides 31 to the guides 35 which lie between the feed mechanism and the guides 26. The chains 33 are trained about sprocket wheels on shafts 36 carried on brackets 37 attached to the frame of the tufting machine. The feed mechanism also includes an upper set of chains 38, the corresponding links of which are connected by flat wires 39 extending transverse to the sheet of yarns. The wires 39 have sections thereon adapted to engage individual yarns in the sheet and the height of these sections varies in accordance with the pattern to be'produced in the pile. The chains 38 are trained about sprocket wheels on shafts 40 and one of the shafts 36 and one of the shafts 40 are coupled together and driven in unison with the mechanism by which the backing sheet is advanced stepwise. The chains of the two sets are guided by the sprocket Wheels on the shafts 36, 40 so that the chains have parallel stretches in which the wires 34, 39 intermesh and, as the backing sheet is advanced one step, the chains are advanced by the distance between adjacent wires on the chains.

The yarns traveling between guides 31, 35 are engaged by the intermeshing wires on the parallel stretches of the chains and deviated from a rectilinear path to form waves. The length of yarn in each wave forms an increment which is fed during a needle cycle, and the length of such an increment of any yarn depends on the height of the section of the wire 39 engaging the yarn in that increment.

A stationary cutting member 41 is mounted below the bed plate 11 in alignment with each needle and the member has a pointed portion 41a extending in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the fabric and lying close to the path of vertical travel of the associated needle. The lower edge of the pointed portion of each cutting element 41 is formed to make a shear cut with a cutting element 42 lying against the side of the element'41 and movable by suitable means.

A stationary loop holder 43 in the form of a thin plate is secured at one end to the under surface of the bed plate and extends downwardly at an angle to terminate in a free end lying close to the path of vertical travel of each needle and above the top of the looper 27 co-operating with the needle. When a needle rises after having passed a loop of yarn through the backing sheet, the loop is momentarily held by the looper 27 associated with the needle and lies with its plane transverse to the sheet. In this position, the loop lies against the free edge of the loop holder 43 and, when the looper releases the loop, the holder prevents the loop from twisting out of a plane transverse to the backing sheet.

A deflecting bar 44 is mounted on arms 45 attached to the needle bar and is adapted to engage the yarns be tween guides 25, 26 as the needle rises, and to deflect the yarns upwardly out of a rectilinear path and into a storage space between guides 25, 26. As the bar 44 rises to the same height on each ascent of the needles, constant lengths of the yarns are introduced into the storage space during each cycle. When the needles descend, the bar is disengaged from the yarns between the guides 25, 26 and the yarns pass directly from one guide to the other. The constant lengths of the yarns are thus withdrawn from the storage space, each such constant length being the difference between the length of a yarn deflected into the storage space between guides 25, 26 and the length of a yarn passing in a straight line from one guide to the other. Such a constant length of a yarn is suflicient for the formation of a loop of maximum height.

The operation of the apparatus in the practice of the new method will be apparent from the diagrams, Figs. 25, inclusive, showing different stages in the production of a tufted fabric having a pile made of loops and cut loops. In these diagrams, the formation of loops of a single yarn is illustrated and it is to be understood that the operations illustrated and described are typical.

In the stage shown in Fig. 2, the needle 24 is at the upper limit of its travel after having passed a loop L of the pile yarn P through the backing sheet 12. The deflecting bar 44 is also at the upper limit of its travel and has deflected the yarn into the storage space between the guides 25, 26. The increment of the yarn which was fed during the descent and ascent of the needle was relatively short since the wire 39' of the upper set which deflected the yarn to form the increment is relatively low. Accordingly, the increment fed was insufficient for the formation of a loop of maximum height and, after the loop passed through the backing sheet by the needle was momentarily held by the looper 27 and then released, the rise of the deflecting bar between guides 25, 26 to deflect the yarn into the storage space caused yarn to be withdrawn from the inserted loop to reduce its height.

Upon completion of the needle cycle shown in Fig. 2, the fabric is advanced one step and the shortened loop L passes over the top of the pointed end portion 41a of the stationary cutting element 41 associated with the needle 24. At the end of the step in the movement of the sheet, the needle again descends and the deflecting bar 44 moves down with it. In such movement, the deflecting bar is disengaged from the yarn P and the constant length of yarn in the storage space is available for passage through the backing sheet by the needle.

When the needle descends to the bottom of its path, the

looper 27 enters the doubled portion of the yarn carried through the sheet by the needle and holds the loop as the needle rises. The increment of yarn fed during the cycle shown in Fig. 3 Was sufficiently long for the formation of a loop of maximum height and, when the needle and the deflecting bar rise, the deflection of the yarn into the storage space between guides 25, 26, as shown in Fig. 4, does not withdraw yarn from the loop and a loop L' of maximum height is formed. Upon being released by the looper 27, the loop L lies against the free edge of the loop holder 43 and is thus held against twisting out of a plane transverse to the direction of travel of the sheet.

When the needle and the deflecting bar have reached the top limit of their travel, the backing sheet 12 is advanced one step and this causes the loop L to encircle the pointed portion 41a of the stationary cutting element 41. The needle and the deflecting bar then descend to form a third loop and, as this operation takes place, the movable cutting element 42 is moved in relation to the 4 cutting edge on the pointed portion 41a of the element 41 to cut the loop L. a

As the operation of the machine continues, a transverse row of pile loops extending from one face of the backing sheet is formed by passing doubled portions of the pile yarns through the sheet in each cycle of operation of the machine. Increments of the pile yarns are fed toward the needles during each cycle and these increments vary in length in accordance with the pattern. A constant length of each yarn is released from the storage space in each cycle by the descent of the deflecting bar and constant lengths of the yarns are returned to the storage space as the needles and deflecting bar rise at the end of each cycle. If the increment of a pile yarn fed during a cycleis not sufficient forthe formation of a loop of maximum height, the deflection at the end of that cycle of a constantlength of the yarn into the storage space causes a shortening of the loop formed in the cycle. Accordingly, in each cycle, a transverse row of pile loops is formed in the fabric with the loops varying in height in accordance with a pattern. When the fabric is advanced a step after the formation of such a row of loops, the loops which are sufliciently long, will encircle the pointed portions of the stationary cutting elements in alignment with the needles forming the loops, while loops of less length will pass over the pointed portions of the elements. In the following cycle of the machine, those loops which have encircled the stationary cutting elements are severed by the co-operation of the stationary and movable elements.

v I claim:

1. A method of making a fabric having a pile formed of transverse rows of loops and cut loops of pile yarns, the loops and cut loops being arranged in sequence in the rows in accordance with a pattern, which comprises carrying'out a cycle made up of the steps of advancing the backing sheet stepwise, during a single period of rest of the sheet, inserting doubled portions of the pile yarns through the sheet from one side to form a transverse row of loops of uniform height projecting from the opposite side of the sheet, simultaneously with the insertion of the loops, feeding increments of pile yarns'toward the place of insertion of the loops, the increments varying in length in accordance with the pattern with some of the increments shorter than the length of yarn in one of said uniform loops, and withdrawing lengths of yarn from the just-formed inserted loops of the yarns, of which the increments fed during the insertion of the uniform loops were insutn'cient in length for formation of one of said uniform loops, the length of the withdrawn portion of each yarn corresponding to the difference between the increment fed of that yarn and the length required for formation of one of said uniform loops, advancing the sheet by one step and, during the advance of the sheet, engaging from within loops of more than a selected height only, and, during the next period of rest of the sheet, severing only the engaged loops and then forming another transverse row of pile loops projecting from said opposite side of the sheet by repeating said inserting, feeding, and withdrawing operations, and repeating the cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, in which constant lengths of the pile yarns suflicient for the formation of loops of maximum height are withdrawn from a storage space at the beginning of each cycle and such constant lengths of the yarns are returned to the space later in the cycle, the return to the space of a constant length of a yarn, of which the increment fed during a cycle is insuflicient for a loop of maximum height, withdrawing yarn from and reducing the height of the loop of that yarn formed during the cycle.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the loops are engaged at their sides as soon as they are formed and held with their planes transverse to the direction of travel of the sheet and substantially vertical.

4. An apparatus for making a fabric having ;a-pile formed of transverse rows of loops and cut loops of pile yarns, the loops and cut loops being arranged in sequence in the rows in accordance with a pattern, which comprises a support for a backing sheet, means for advancing the sheet lengthwise over the support step by step, a plurality of needles mounted above the support in a row transverse to the fabric and reciprocable in a vertical direction only, means for reciprocating the needles to cause the needles to pass loops of pile yarns carried thereby through the sheet, a plurality of loopers co-operating with respective needles to enter and retain momentarily the loops of pile yarns carried through the sheet by the needles to form pile loops of maximum height, means operating during each complete reciprocation of the needles to feed an increment of each pile yarn toward its needle, the increments of the several yarns varying in length in accordance with a pattern, means for holding constant lengths of the pile yarns in a storage space between the feeding means and the needles, means for releasing from the storage space such constant lengths of the pile yarns during the down-strokes of the needles and restoring such constant lengths of the pile yarns to the storage space during the up-strokes of the needles, the constant lengths of the pile yarns being sufiicient for the formation of loops of maximum height and the return to the storage space of a constant length of yarn in a cycle, in which the increment of the yarn fed is insufl'icient for the formation of a loop of maximum height, causing yarn to be withdrawn from the loop of the yarn formed in the cycle, stationary means for engaging from within pile loops of more than a selected height only in respective longitudinal rows, said means being spaced from respective needles in the direction of travel of the backing sheet by a distance less than the length of a step in the movement of the backing sheet, and means for cutting the engaged pile loops.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, in which the engaging means includes a stationary cutting element aligned longitudinally of the fabric with each needle, each element having a pointed portion extending in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the sheet and adapted to enter loops of more than a selected height formed by its looper, the pointed portion having a shearing edge.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, in which the cutting means includes a movable cutting element co-operating with the stationary cutting element to shear loops entered by the pointed portion of the stationary element.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, which includes a holder engaging each loop released by its looper and holding the loop with its plane transverse to the direction of movement of the sheet, the holder lying out of the plane of the needle paths.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the loop holder is a plate secured at one end and extending toward the path of travel of a needle, the opposite end of the plate being free and terminating close to the needle path above the path of the looper co-operating with the needle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,907,292 Gladish May 2, 1933 2,260,896 Goodman et al Oct. 28, 1941 2,836,134 Harrison May 27, 1958 2,853,034 Crawford Sept. 23, 1958 2,879,728 McCutchen Mar. 31, 1959 2,879,729 McCutchen Mar. 31, 1959 2,882,845 Hoeselbarth Apr. 21, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 635,817 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1950 

